April is for Nature

We educated 4th grade on the importance of worms in the garden. They explained square foot gardening to us. We worked together to plant our experiment gardens. Which soil will produce the best fruits and vegetables?...bagged raised bed soil, soil with worm tea, compost, or miracle grow. We cannot wait to see. For Earth Day, we tested earth surfaces to determine the most protective surface. We discovered that soil absorbs twice as much water as sand and pebbles. We know this because we had to dump in twice as much water to observe half as much come out the bottle. The soil with the grass growing kept the soil from eroding. Evidence of this was seen in the cleaner water. We love science.

garden day

Garden Day was a big success. We got the raised beds in and surrounded them with mulch. We used cardboard under the mulch to prevent weeds. After some time the cardboard will decompose and just become part of the soil. I like that sustainable idea. With a freeze expected, we didn't plant anything except pumpkin seeds. For the pumpkin bed, we added the compost created by the pumpkins from pumpkin exploration in the fall. When we pulled the compost out of the spinning composter, we found some seeds sprouting and some worms had found their way into the composter. Surprise. It was a wonderful day.

Worm Pavilion

The worm pavilion was designed, built, and delivered. The classroom worms moved into their new home on St. Patrick's Day. We layered their new habitat just the way they like it, so they should continue to be happy worms. There were lots of eggs moved too. The students sounded like they were on an Easter egg hunt. My favorite part is the window. You can see the layers now, but in a couple weeks, we will be able to see the progress the worms have made at decomposing the food waste and creating soil for next year's raised bed. Then we will be able to see the roots growing in the soil through the window. I'm thinking carrots, potatoes, or peanuts would be fun to watch. With diligence and grit, dreams do come true.

Conservation Chief Update

We started Conservation Chiefs in January. The meeting was about recycling and collecting Capri Sun Drink Pouches and Lays Chip Bags for Terracycle repurposing. February we looked at the worms in the vermicomposter and talked about collecting food waste from lunches in the cafeteria for composting. I didn't think it could get better than that...the worms are so much fun. But today...we looked at a slideshow of pictures from the Lynnhaven River NOW Trashion show. The local high school students created fashions from what would be trash or recyclables. It impressed and inspired me. So I asked and the Kellam Science National Honor Society students if they would like to do some collaboration. Three of them (past Creeds students) joined us for today's meeting and we discussed creating new ways to use old items. The students conferred and left the meeting with some great ideas that I look forward to seeing come to fruition. So stay tuned.

A Feast Without Waste

To celebrate Thanksgiving, this 1st grade class had a literature feast and shared foods related to their stories. The challenge was to enjoy the feast without creating a lot of waste. In the end we had one trash can 1/2 full of trash, 1 can of recyclables, 1 tub of reusable dishes and cloth napkins, one bucket of food for composting, and a ton of fun. That's when the real fun began. We started a new experiment to watch some of the food waste decompose. We have a control container, a container that won't get any air, a container that had some soil added, and we buried some in the garden under a layer of soil. (Shhh...Don't tell the principal.) We plan to wait and watch patiently. The students are excited that they get to shake the containers, too, for mixing purposes. Which will decompose fastest? Will the remains be as good as the class worms create? Stay tuned...this is not mold growing in the refrigerator.

Frog Bog Stones

Have you seen the frog bog stones were given a makeover? Mrs. Bivens repainted them in nice vibrant colors. They look awesome at the entrance to the frog bog path with the little stones the students painted last spring. Their arrangement is like an invitation to enjoy a relaxing stroll along the path. Enjoy!

1st grade enjoyed going outside to the Frog Bog today to make observations like a scientist. We heard crickets, wind, airplanes, children's voices at walk-n-talk, and a whistle. We saw trees, bushes, flowers, rocks, and seats. We smelled fresh air. We felt rocks and wood, but didn't get to touch any frogs...maybe next time. It was good to be outside before the rain.